Hinge



July 5, 1938. ATWOQD r AL 2,122,831

HINGE Filed April 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 5, 1938. J. T. ATWOOD ET AL HINGE Filed April 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 5,1938

HINGE James T. Atwood and Lewis 0. Smith, Rockford, Ill.

Application April 4, 1938, Serial No. 199,806

8 Claims. (Cl. 16-128) This invention relates to hinges for use on the doors of motor vehicles and has for its principal object the provision of a hinge of sheet metal construction which, by reason of novel \formation of the parts, is not only stronger and of better appearance but can be made from strip steel of lighter gauge than has heretofore been found necessary, so that a real saving in cost is effected.

One of the principal features of the hinge of our invention is the box or channel formation of the outer ends of both the outer and inner hinge members, these portions being in reverse relation interfitting and having a pintle entered through aligned openings in the abutting upper and lower flanges thereof This not only results in a hinge of pleasing appearance when viewed from either side, but the two U or channel sections make for greatly increased strength and rigidity.

In accordance with the novel method of manufacture both hinge members are made from strip steel of the same width and the box or channel end portions are formed so that the top and bottom flanges of these portions are made from the marginal edge portions of the strip bent int wardly in planes at right angles to the strip, the end portions which project from the body being, therefore, a fraction of the width of the attaching portions that are fastened to the door and body. In that way, there is the desired width for secure attachment to the door and body, and at the same time the projecting pivotally connected portions which are of reduced width but channel section are of ample strength to take care of the.

load of the door in connection with which the hinge is used. The connecting webs between the wide attaching," shank and the Zeta and bottom flanges of, the narrow channelped ends account for much of the strength nd'rigidity in this hinge. The fact that a hinge made in accordance with'our invention will have such wide attaching portions and such strength built into the pintle receiving portions, by reason of the narrow channel section thereof and the webs reinforcing the same, permits use of lighter gauge strip steel-throughout, with a resulting saving in cost.

Still another object is to provide hinges of the kind described in which, in the case of the .fully' the connecting webs between the shank portions and the top and of the channel-shaped end porexposed hinges, wide attaching bottom flanges tions extend at different angles to the-vertical line through the pintles of the two hinges on a door, according to the project 'from' the body, whereby to make for'good distance which the hinges panying drawings, in which- Figure l is a horizontal section through the edge portion of a door and the cooperating pillar on the body showing in plan view a hinge made in accordance with our invention;

Figs; 2 and 3 are, respectively, a front view and side view of the hinge of the car;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section throu hinge on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 1 removed from gh the Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. l;

Figs. 6 and 6a are sections similar to Fig. 5

showing modified or alternative constructions of the pintle bearing;

Fig-.1 is a view of an automobile door pillar illustrating a pair of hinges thereon and indicating the different formation of the projecting portions of the upper and lower hinges;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '1 showing a similar hinge set back into the body, leaving only the narrow end portion of the hinge exposed ee as apin Fig. 9, which is a view looking at the outside of the door and body, showing a front view of as much of the hinge as is left exposed; Fig. 10 is a longitudinal vertical section the hinge taken on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. Fig. 11 is a cross-section on the line Fig. 8.

Similar reference numerals are applied responding parts throughout the views.

through 8, and

Referring first to Figs. 1-7, the numeral [2 designates the door of designates the pillar on a motor vehicle and i3 the body, but it will soon be evident that although the outer hinge member I4 is here shown as attached to the edge portion of the door I2 by bolts IE it may be attached to the pillar instead, and the inner hinge member l6 shown attached to ber 14 is formed from and comprises an attaching shank portion an outer end portion l8 formed to provide a channel or boxthe pillar [3 by bolts l'l may .be attached to the door. The outer hinge memstripsteel of uniform width l B and shaped I9 integral with the shank 5B section 20, the upper and lower flanges or walls 2| and 22 of which are parallel and in a plane at right angles to the plane of the attaching shank |8 and connected therewith by webs or flanges 23 and 24 which extend downwardly and upwardly from the top and bottom of the shank at obtuse angles to the flanges 2| and 22, respectively.

In like manner, the inner hinge member [6 has extending upper and lower webs or flanges 30 and an attaching shank portion formed from a piece of strip steel of the same width as the shank l8, and the outer end portion 26 thereof is formed to a channel or box section 21 providing upper and lower flanges or walls 28 and 29 in planes at right angles to the plane of the shank 25 and joined to the shank by integral angularly 3|, respectively. The flanges 28 and 29 fit neatly between the flanges 2| and 22 as clearly appears in Fig. 5, and a pintle 32 entered through registering holes 33 and 34 in the flanges of the two- I other-hinge member It.

The hinge members l4 and I6 can be produced from the same vndth of strip steel at unusually low cost, because thematerial cost is low to begin with and simple punch press operations sufflce to bend, form, anddraw the marginal edge portions of the strip to form the top and bottom flanges of the channel-shaped end portions 20 and 21 and the connecting webs 23-24 and -3l. The channel-shaped erid portions 20 and 21 have great strength and rigidity, due to the short span between the pintle receiving flanges 2|-22 and 28-29. The intermediate tapered connecting portions between the pintle bearing portions and the shank portions also have great structural strength and rigidity, because the webs 23-24 and till-3| give these portions channet section. Thewebs mentioned buttress the outer pintle bearing ends of the hinge members from above and below, carrying the reinforcement out close to the pintle, as shown, so that the weight of the door will not cause the hinge to sag. In fact the construction is'of such strength, due to the bracing referred to, that we have found that much lighter gauge steel can be used, thickness being considered entirely feasible and practical as against A or even thickness used heretofore. Fui thermore, the fact that the channel-shaped end portions of the hinge members have their top and bottom flanges and their connecting webs formed from the marginal edge portions of the strip, it follows that the full. width of the strip is left for the attaching shank portions l8 and 25, thereby meeting the requirement so far as wide attaching ends are concerned. Naturally, with this full width in the attaching shanks, the fastening bolts can be placed as far apart as desired so that the hinges can be fastened securely to the door and body and there is no danger of the hinges working loose. "Still greater strength and rigidity can be built into the hinge by forming channel-shaped ribs 36 and 31 longitudinally of the shanks l8 and 25, respectively, extending outwardly through the intermediate webs 23-23 and 30-3I are, to the channelshaped end portions 20 and 21, as clearly appears portions where the connecting .to support the door.

in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The hinge seats on the door and pillar will be recessed to accommodate these ribs, as indicated at 38-39 in Fig. 1. Of course, this is only one of a variety of ways in which the hinge members may be ribbed to add strength and stiifness. For example, in Figs. 8 to 11, the hinge members l4 and I6 are shown provided with inwardly projecting ribs 36' and 31' to afford added strength and stiffness without interfering with attachment to flat hinge seats on the door l2 and body l3. Then, too, the longltudinal edges of the shanks l8 and 25' are bent at right angles to provide reenforcing flanges l0 and 4| which constitute a continuation of the ends of the webs 23, 24', 30 and 3l'. as best appears in Figs. 8 and 10.

Where the hinges project to a substantial extent from the body, and the lower hinge projects to a different extent than the upper hinge, as shown in Fig. 7, we prefer to have the webs 23-24 and 30- -3| on the upper hinge A at a smaller acute angle with respect to the vertical line through the pintles of the two hinges A and B than the corresponding connecting webs on the lower hinge B, because it greatly improves the appearance and at the same time extends the reenforcement through the intermediate portions of the hinges between the channel-shaped pintle receiving portions and the attaching portions so that the hinges will have the requisite strength 'In some cars where the body does not have such an extreme outward bulge in its curved outer surface and one may therefore locate the hinging axis closer to the body, we propose to set the hinges back into the body as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, leaving only the narrow channel-shaped pintle receiving portions 20-21 of the hinges projecting. In some cases where the extent of outward bulge of the outside of the body will not permit setting the hinges back into the body to quite this extent, substantially the same effect can be obtained so far as appearance is concerned, even though the hinging axis is spaced farther out from the body ifthe sheet metal on the outside of the door indicated at 42 in Fig. 8 is simply deflected or bulged outwardly over the intermediate webbed portions of thehingesf In that way, the only portions of the hinges left exposed are the narrow channelshaped pintle receiving portions which present a neat and attractive appearance and are fairly inconspicuous.

Another advantage in the present construction is the elimination of noise incident to the rush of air past the projecting hinges; the reduced,

width of the projecting portions and the fact that they are furthermore of'inclosedconstruction, without pockets or recesses to scoop the air, makes these hinges substantially silent. Then, too, there is the advantage with this completely enclosed hinge of protection against dust and dirt getting into the pintle bearings, and the fact that water, snow, and sleet are excluded more effectively than with other constructions with which we are familiar.

The pintle bearings 34, disclosed in Fig. 5, are somewhat larger in diameter than has been the accepted practice with hinges of the prior con. ventional unimproved type, the thought being that with pintles of enlarged diameter there will be suilicient bearing contact to make additional bearing means unnecessary. However, in cases where the weight of. the door is such that additional bearing surface for the pintles seems necessary, we may provide a tubular bearing member 63 preferably curled from a single piece of sheet metal for economy in production and set in holes M in the flanges 28a. and 29a of the channel-shaped outer end 210, of the inner hinge member. The pintle 32 in such a construction will turn with the outer hinge member and have a working fit in the bore 45 of the tubular bearing M in the inner hinge member. The tubular bearing may be secured in place in the inner hinge member in any one of a variety of ways; it may be pressed in place in the holes M or entered freely in these holes and secured by slightly swedging the ends or by prick punching around the ends of the bearing member at the holes M in the flanges 28a and 29a.

Another alternative construction is illustrated in Fig. 6a in which the bearing holes 3d in the' flanges 28b and 2% are elongated by forming the metal, as indicated at 36, after piercing. In this construction, as in the ones shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the pintle 32 turns with the outer hinge member and has a working flt in the inner hinge member.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of our invention. The appended claims have been drawn with a view to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

We claim:

1. A hinge comprising a pair of one-piece sheet metal inner and outer hinge members, each comprising a body providing an attaching shank portion with an extension at one end having opposed marginal edge portions extending laterally defining top and bottom flanges and the middle end portion therebetween longitudinally curved providing therewith a channel box portion of less width than the shank portion, said shank and channel portions being connected by strengthening and stiffening webs in converging transverse planes extending from the top and bottom of the outer end of the shank portion and forming continuations of the top and bottom flanges of the channel box portion, the channel box portions of the two hinge members o'pening toward one another and the channel box portion of the inner hinge member fitting within the channel box portion of the outer hinge member, the top and bottom flanges of the inner hinge member rotatably abutting the inner faces of the related flanges of the outer hinge member, and means pivotally connecting the outer ends of said hinge members.

2. As an article of manufacture, a hinge member comprising a sheet metal body providing an attaching shank portion with an extension at one end having opposed marginal edge portions extending laterally defining parallel top and bottom pintle bearing flanges and the middle end portion therebetween longitudinally curved providing therewith a channel box portion of less width than the shank portion, said shank and channel portions being connected by strengthening and stiffening webs in converging transverse planes extending from the top and bottom of the outer end of the shank portion and forming con-' tinuations of the top and bottom flanges of the channel box portion. 1

3. A hinge as set forth in claim 2, including, an inwardly extending flange on at least one of the longitudinal edge portions of the shank, constituting an extension of the inner end of the adjacent connecting web.

4. A hinge member comprising a body providing an attaching shank portion and a pintle bearing portion integral with the outer end thereof, the pintle bearing portion having substantially parallel opposed walls in transverse relation to the plane of the shank portion, at least one of said opposed walls being connected to the adjacent longitudinal edge portion of the shank by an integral flange extending inwardly from the inner end of said wall at an acute angle to the axis of the pintle bearing portion to the longitudinal edge of said shank, the flange tapering in width from its junction with the aforesaid wall toward its junction withthe longitudinal edge portion.

5. A hinge member comprising a body providing an attaching shank portion and a pintle bearing portion integral with the outer end thereof, the pintle bearing portion having substantially parallel opposed walls in transverse relation to the plane of the shank portion, and said opposed walls being connected to the adjacent longitudinal edge portions of said shank by integral flanges extending inwardly from the inner ends of said opposed walls in diverging relation to one another and at acute angles to the axis of the pintle bearing portion to the longitudinal edges of said shank, the flanges tapering in width from their junctions with said opposed walls toward their junctions with the longitudinal edge portions.

6. A hinge comprising inner and outer members adapted to be pivotally connected by a pintle, each of said members comprising an attaching shank portion and a hood portion formed integral with the outer end thereof, the hood portion having substantially parallel opposed walls in transverse relation to the plane of the shank, the hoods of said inner and outer members being reversely arranged and inter-fitting, a pintle entered through registered openings provided in the opposed walls of said hoods, the opposed walls of each hood being connected to the adjacent longitudinal edge portions of the associated shank by integral flanges extending inwardly from the inner ends of said walls in diverging relation to one another and at acute angles to the pintle axis to the longitudinal edges of said shank, the flanges tapering in width from their junctions with the walls toward their junctions with the longitudinal edge portions, and the flanges on the inner member fitting within the angle defined by the flanges of the outer member in the closed position of said members.

7. In a pintle hinge, a hinge member comprising a body portion providing an attaching shank portion and a narrower perforated pintle receiving portion of channel-shaped cross section, the channel-shaped pintle receiving portion being connected to the shank portion by an inter mediate portion of channel cross section decreasing in depth but increasing in width from the pintle receiving portion to the shank portion.

8. A hinge comprising two members, each comprising a body providing an attaching shank por-.

tion and a narrower perforated pintle receiving portion of channel-shaped cross section, the channel-shaped pintle receiving portions of the two members opening toward one another and inter-fitting for relative pivotal movement with' 

